Spring-flowering trees and bushes, more than any other plant, appear to brighten up the landscape as winter passes. Many of these woody plants bloom even before the leaves begin to sprout, providing some of the season’s earliest colour. Because of their vibrant colours and pleasant aroma, early spring flowering trees are the first sign of the coming season.
Trees not only bring you delight throughout the year, but the right species planted in the right location can help raise property values and lower utility expenses. These superb selections will bring a wealth of lovely spring blooms to your garden.
1. Blossom Chestnut
The redhorse chestnut, a hybrid tree between Aesculus and Carnea, is one of the most beautiful spring trees in bloom. Its huge, beautiful white-reddish blossoms are impossible to miss. This tree can reach a height of 35 feet and a width of 25 feet, and it can be found in parks, gardens, and town greens.
2. Box Elder
Forget about the misconception that box elder trees (Acer negundo) as weed trees. It is a hardy, low-maintenance maple, which is enough incentive to grow this tree, also known as “Kelly’s Gold”. It has yellow spring foliage that matures to chartreuse, making it an excellent focal point or small shade tree. ‘Kelly’s Gold’ is a fast-growing shrub that reaches a height of 30 to 40 feet. It can be grown in zones 5 to 8.
3. Cherry Blossom
It’s hard not to talk about spring trees without mentioning cherry blossoms, and you’d all agree with me that it’s one of the most beautiful and appealing spring trees!
Known for their mesmerizing pink blooms on trees, cherry trees bloom early in the spring and want to be planted in full sun in deep, fertile, well-drained, and wet soil. Every year at the beginning of March, the Cherry Blossom Festival is held in its honour.
4. Crape Myrtle
Their flowering crowns are too beautiful to ignore! This vibrant colour has powerful therapeutic powers, so take a break and relax for 10 minutes.
Crepe myrtles are known for their bright, long-lasting flowers that bloom through the summer months. This tree’s colour has a lot of red and pink inside, which makes the tree look stunning. Their leaves are normally 2 to 8 inches long, and their height ranges from over 30 m (100 ft) to less than 30 cm (1 ft).
5. Flowering Crabapple
The flowering crabapple tree is what your backyard needs if you like white blooming trees in the spring.
It’s also one of the trees that smell good in the spring, with beautiful, fragrant creamy-white flowers that grow 15 to 20 feet tall. It also sheds its leaves seasonally. The flowering crabapple tree prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soil (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily). In the spring, it’s one of the most stunning white flowering trees, and you’ll see it all around you.
6. French Rose Tree
This colourful small tree blooms in the spring and is a great addition to any garden. The tree’s crown is so lush and full of flowering beauty that it’s only fitting to be called a French rose. These pink petals will absorb the sun gently, resulting in a stunning appearance!
The French rose, also known as Rosa gallica, is a colourful, short-lived shrub, with enormous, fragrant, deep pink. Each flower has five or more petals, measuring 10 to 13 mm in diameter.
7. Hyperion Dogwood
The Hyperion dogwood, a 20-foot tall ornamental tree with large, stunning white or pink blooms in early spring, is a relatively new decorative tree.
The petals fade later in the spring, giving way to scarlet, strawberry-like fruits that the birds like. They stand out against the greenery of the springtime environment.
8. Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac
Ivory silk appears as a small tree or big shrub with a rounded crown and lush green foliage on dark brown bark.
Its crown is undoubtedly a gem, and its appearance is so soft and lovely! From spring through summer, the captivating creamy-white blossoms and fragrant aroma of the deciduous ivory silk are a sight to behold. No perfume can compare to the wonderful aroma of this plant.
9. Lilac Tree
This tree is all about passion, elegance, mystery, and a sense of royalty.
Lilacs are maybe among the most beautiful purple trees flowering in the spring.
There are a few different lilac spring trees that provide the aroma and quality of a lilac bush with the added benefit of height and shade. Most popular lilac trees include:
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- Common Lilac
- Miss Kim Lilac
- Bloomerang Dark Purple Lilac
- Bloomerang Dwarf Pink Lilac
10. Oklahoma Redbud
The colourful Oklahoma redbud is one of the popular spring trees loved for its abundance of vibrant, delicate, purple-reddish flowers that cloak the barren limbs to bridge the winter-early spring gap!
Even those who don’t pay attention to the landscaping are drawn to the tree by its brilliant foliage. Because it only grows to around 15 feet in height, Oklahoma Redbud is perfect for tiny yards.
11. Paperbark Maple
It can be difficult to choose between all of the excellent maples—sugars, reds, and Japanese—because there are so many. But, the paperbark maple (Acer griseum) could be cut above the rest of the trees in spring.
It features lovely leaves during the growing season and vibrant scarlet fall shade if its signature copper-coloured bark isn’t enough to make you happy all year. Paperbark maple is a slow-growing tree that reaches a height of 25 feet and a width of 15 to 20 feet, with an open habit that improves with age. It’s ideal for tiny gardens and grows well in Zones 5 to 8.
12. Pear Tree
If you enjoy white blossoming trees in early spring, don’t overlook the pear tree.
Pear trees can reach a height of 40 feet and a width of 20 feet. They prefer full sun and, while not common, may survive heavy clay in combination with enough compost. And, in 3 to 5 years after planting, these trees can bear you fruit.
13. Red Oak
If you have the space, consider the red oak, long regarded as a symbol of strength and durability. It is also a fast-growing tree. There are hundreds of varieties of oaks to choose from, but landscapers tend to prefer the red oak (Quercus rubra) primarily because of its fast growth, wide, rounded habit, and spectacular autumn colour. It reaches a height and width of 60 to 75 feet.
14. Sweet Gum
The star-shaped leaves of the sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) are easily identifiable in the fall when they turn rich shades of red, yellow, and orange. In addition, it contains spiky, star-shaped seedpods that fall off in the winter. Some people dislike the attractive seedpods, in which case a fruitless variety like ‘Rotundiloba’ could be used instead. Sweet gum grows 60 to 75 feet tall and 40 to 50 feet wide and is hardy in Zones 5 to 9.
15. Tonto Tree
The tonto tree is a small to medium-sized tree that grows to only 8 to 10 feet tall. The blooms last all spring and well into the fall. It blooms in a sweet pink shade and turns bright red in autumn. If that isn’t enough, tonto trees have peeling bark that reveals unusual colours in the winter.
If you’re someone who likes a splash of colour in your garden, get a hold of these best trees for spring blossom. Call Caledon Treeland and see their collection of trees for sale in Aurora and the Greater Toronto area at (905) 880-1828